Developing Smart Villages in Rural India

Commitment by

ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd

In 2016, ReNew Power committed to upgrade the rural Indian village of Paniyara to meet Indian government Smart Village standards. Over the course of three years, ReNew Power, in partnership PLAN India, Nature Tech and the community of Paniyara, will provide access to a renewable and sustainable supply of electricity, access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, basic health care services, educational and livelihood opportunities for all village residents and households, impacting more than 1,100 individuals.

Tabs

Commitment

Launched

2016

Est. Duration

2 years

Estimated Total Value

$476,861

Region

Asia

Countries

INDIA

Commitment by

ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd

Partner(s) of the Commitment Maker(s)

Naturetech,
PLAN INDIA

Details

As India's leading renewable power producing company, ReNew is committed to upgrading rural households in the village of Paniyara with access to a sustainable supply of electricity, ensuring energy security and holistic development with access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, basic health care services, education and livelihood opportunities for all village residents.

The Commitment will be implemented in partnership with PLAN India, Nature Tech and the community of Paniyara. Throughout the Commitment, ReNew Power will continue to engage additional partner organizations and align Commitment objectives to government programs and priorities. One of the key features of the Commitment is the proposed Edu-hub, a community learning center, which will focus on imparting skill-based training as an alternate livelihood option to traditional agricultural practices. It will also act as a platform to highlight the importance of clean drinking water and adequate sanitation practices to the community.

The Commitment will specifically seek the active participation of women and girls through the formation of self-help groups (SHGs) as a tool for socio-economic development. The groups will provide vocational training, encourage entrepreneurship and impart life skills, empowering them in the process. These SHGs will be requisite training for self-sustained community development. The participating women will be key Commitment stakeholders.

Together with their partners, ReNew brings expertise in project planning and execution, the operation and maintenance of a microsolar-based grid and the overall vision for development of this Smart Village. The NGO partners bring expertise in community mobilization, the formation of community-based organizations to ensure long-term project sustainability and empowering the community to take charge of their development process. Service provider partners will ensure the availability of the technology needed to facilitate the Commitment development process.

ReNew in conjunction with its partners PLAN India, Nature Tech and other service providers will work towards achieving the objectives of the Smart Village upgrading Commitment in Paniyara village over a period of 3 years. Milestones for the project:

PHASE 1(Q3, Q4 2016)
Establish community-based solar-powered micro grid
Establish Edu Hub: Identify, counsel & mentor gifted children, while preventing girls from dropping out
Develop ReNew Eco Education Park for children to create awareness about the environment and clean energy
Promote and support socio-cultural heritage by encouraging local festivals and sports
Establish community drinking water unit* to address the drinking water needs of the community
Organize health camps** ensuring access to basic health care services
Increase green cover encouraging and mobilizing for tree plantation
Upgrade of Anganwadi Center*** with improved infrastructure
Converge and link with government schemes to increase the social safety net for the community

PHASE 2(Q1, Q2 2017)
Establish E-chaupal: Engage with farmers to promote sustainable agricultural practices by adopting solar based pumps
Initiative womens empowerment components: Form SHG and link them to income generating activities
Promote and support socio-cultural heritage by encouraging local festivals and sports
Construct sanitation complexes in schools and individual units at the household level
Develop a community-based waste management system
Initiate skill-based training for youth
Increase green cover: Encourage and mobilize tree planting
Converge and link with government schemes to increase the social safety net for the community

PHASE 3(Q3, Q4 2017)
Further, engage with farmers to promote sustainable agriculture practices
Womens empowerment: Form SHG and link them to income generating activities
Promote and support socio-cultural heritage by encouraging local festivals and sports
Construction of individual units at household level
Further skill training program for youth
Converge and link with government schemes to increase the social safety net for the community

Background

According to the International Energy Association report, India has the largest number of people without electricity globally (IEA, 2011). Around 400 million people do not have an electricity connection at home (2011 India Census). Often, even if there is an electrical connection, the supply is irregular and therefore an unreliable source of energy.

Access to electricity and the socio-economic advancement of rural areas in developing countries are closely related. Multi-dimensional aspects of poverty - for example, economic, educational, and health - have been increasingly focused on, and access to modern energy such as electricity is often named as a potential solution. Unelectrified villages continue to develop slower than their electrified counterparts, as electricity not only powers economic growth but also social development by providing lighting for education and health services.

To ensure that development reaches all beneficiaries, even at the base of the pyramid, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced a program to support the development of Smart Villages. As per the guidelines prepared by the Ministry of Rural Development, a holistic vision of a Smart Village is one where all households have access to clean water, sanitation, renewable energy solutions, and opportunities for alternate livelihood opportunities and other services to ensure quality of life improvements. ReNew Power is dedicated to upgrading a rural village to meet the Smart Village standard through this Commitment, starting with the village of Paniyara, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where lack of electricity one of the basic needs of the community.

Partnership Opportunities

ReNew Power and its partners would welcome other partners to be part of this Commitment and be a part of the efforts being made to achieve the objectives of the Commitment, in areas that include establishing the water unit in the village, testing technology for children in the Edu Hub, employing sustainable and green building techniques for the Edu Hub, skill training organizations etc. Service providers, community leaders, members of the local administration, development organizations, and others are all important for achieving the overall objectives of ReNews Commitment to Action.

ReNew puts forward its expertise and experience along with NGO partner and service providers in developing a holistic development plan for a village. As the leading renewable energy supplier in the country, ReNew Power has unique expertise and resources to draw upon such as various partners like Nature Tech and PLAN India. We follow best practices in our strategy across all our locations and continue to draw from them as a role model for project implementations.